I know it's early in the year; we haven't even made it out of January yet, but I already know I've found what will probably be my favourite album of the year. I will go on record now as saying that without doubt 'The Pains of Being Pure at Heart' will feature in my top 5 albums come the Altsounds vote for 2009's shiny happy albums. This is 100% sheer musical delight; I'm torn between listening to it repeatedly 'til I become embroiled in some sort of joyous music induced coma or alternatively taking it to bed and being just damn naughty - but luckily I'm a reasonably sane person so I will settle for just listening to its beauty filtering out across the room into my squidgy brain.

If you've never heard of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart then now is the time to become entirely clued up on who they are and what they do; I swear it is for the betterment of your life and the lives of those around you. Hailing from the musical dust-bowl that is New York, this four-piece channel the beauties of boy/girl harmonies with dreamy pop hooks, blissed-out melodies, and the sort of fuzz reminiscent of eighties luminaries such as My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus And Mary Chain. But where those bands differ is in The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's ability to attach pop rhythms and radiant lyrics to the noise, creating a beautiful hybrid.

And so to the 10 tracks on this stunning debut, well I think first thing to mention is their consistency; with no filler featured there remains just exactly 33 minutes of blistering pop, I don't recall a debut being as immediate and concise since The Strokes 'Is This It'; coincidence being from New York? Who knows, opening with 'The Contender' which just bursts in on a wave of scuzz and chiming guitar, featuring the dual vocals of Kip and Peggy - a paean to Stallone this is not "But you never were, never were a contender".


Giving way to the assault of 'Come Saturday' unleashing all the "Ooohs" and "Aaahs" required and a wondrous chorus line "Come saturday, you come to stay, come to stay in my arms" this is 3 minutes of glorious incessant joy - get up and dance! 'Young Adult Friction' fizzes with beating drums and the call to "gonna check me out" what follows is the bizarre ode to incest 'This Love Is Fucking Right!' which despite its odd subject matter (OK it's more forbidden love than incest but I had you there!) is a track that bursts along, jangling from side to side, dripping with hooks.

Unrelenting we pace onwards with the effortless eighties hook of 'The Tenure Itch' closely followed by 'Stay Alive'; an astonishing piece of indiepop that explodes continuously into stratospheric cries of "Don't you try to shoot out the sky, tonight we stay alive" interspersed with more jangles and chimes than seemingly possible for 5 minutes of music, and just when you think it's over, there's a reprise and they go at it again - an absolute delight. 'Everything With You' continues to add more heart warmth to the album with another harmony filled sensual overload that just demands the wearing out of the repeat button.

Showing no signs of wilting The Pains of Being Pure at Heart gear up for one last push, delivering the clearly-lifted-from-a-John Hughes-soundtrack 'A Teenager In Love' that shimmers and shines with keyboard flourishes that sparkle against the driving drum-beat and throbbing bass-line. 'Hey Paul' delves back into the fuzz of earlier tracks, belting along drenched in reverb, before the finale that harks back to those Spector fifties classics, 'Gentle Sons' aims for the wall of sound treatment whilst maintaining modernity. A fitting ending to a truly great album.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have provided a debut album that will have you hooked and wanting for more, it's a piece of pop music of the highest order, deserving a place in all our hearts and on all our shelves. Buy this album and you will not be disappointed you'll be at the start of a wonderful relationship.

Track-listing:
1. Contender
2. Come Saturday
3. Young Adult Friction
4. This Love Is Fucking Right!
5. The Tenure Itch
6. Stay Alive
7. Everything With You
8. A Teenager In Love
9. Hey Paul
10. Gentle Sons

Website: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Label: Fortuna Pop!
Buy Now: Rough Trade Shops

http://www.myspace.com/thepainsofbeingpureatheart